The posthumous works of Mr. Shalihong, a senior in the Indian Chinese literary world
If someone asks whether there was a “China Town” in Medan hundreds of years ago, the answer may not be known, or it is just a rumor!
In 1823 AD, there was a British archaeologist, John Anderson who visited the east coast area of Sumatra (most likely the Chinese town site mentioned in this article) to conduct surveys, and there were reports that : At that time, he unearthed a stone stele with written records in a place called “Kota China”. However, there was no more text later, and it is still unknown where the stele was stored. And why does he no longer conduct the examination?
After more than 100 years of time and space, in 1973, another foreign scholar, McKinnon, came to continue to track the whereabouts of “Kota China”. But he did not get any special gains. Instead, the following year (1974), a stone statue of Buddha was accidentally discovered by a local resident at the site of the legendary “China Town”, which caused Indonesian archaeologists to pay attention to the existence and existence of “China Town”. What more relics.
Many historical relics have been dug up
With regard to the history of the existence of the “China Town”, if you follow the historical and geographical development in depth, you may be able to find many relevant clues. Because archaeologists can search for evidence that people have settled or carried out activities in the relevant era based on the various cultural relics unearthed in “China Town”.
It was precisely in order to find the basis for these sciences. From 1973 to 1994, Indonesian archaeologists excavated many historical relics on the original site of 25 hectares in “China Town” before they came to the conclusion that they were located in Deli. It is very likely that a “Chinese town” was established at the relevant location along the river during the 11th to 13th century.
This almost forgotten “China Town” location, if you travel from Medan, it is about 20 kilometers away, but its administrative jurisdiction belongs to the area of Kecamatan Medan Marelan. Local residents now call the place Paya Pasir, which is also within the territory of Desa Ringat Pulo.
This “China Town” used to be called “Kota Cina” by local residents, which means “China Town”. At that time, the town was standing on the left bank of the Deli River. Nowadays, most Malay villagers live along the river, and they plant some fruit trees in various open spaces.
In addition, there are Chinese descendants living in the inland area, and they are all Chinese who have settled in the area for more than two years.
According to the inferences of Indonesian archaeologists, when the “China Town” existed, there was a very good commercial terminal on the banks of the Deli River, and many ships were able to enter and exit freely.
Of course, archaeologists did not speculate their claims out of thin air, because in the process of excavating the above-mentioned sites, they had obtained buried ship plates and many ancient Chinese pottery and stone Buddha statues.
Many pieces of Tang Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty
The discovery of ceramics
In 1978, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1989, and 1994, Indonesian archaeologists went to Paya Pasir for investigation and excavation six times. The underground relics obtained include two stone statues of Buddha. And two Hindu stone statues, and these four stone statues are similar to the stone sculptures of Taminadu in South India. They are all relics from the 9th to the 16th century.
The most attention of archaeologists is the 11th century Tang Dynasty ceramics excavated from “China Town” and the Yuan Dynasty ceramics from the 13th to 14th centuries.
There is also 15th century ceramics from the Annan period (now Vietnam).
See also
https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_Situs_Kota_China
https://haobaodaily.co.id/news/read/2020/06/04/1119/peninggalan_kuno_di_labuhan_deli/
Labuhan Deli
Labuhan Deli (Labuhan Deli) originally mean Pelabuhan Deli, but the Chinese in Medan are all called “Lao Wuhan”; it is also commonly known as “Tiger Keng” or “Lao Fu Keng.”
It is said that as far back as the 1800s or earlier, the jungles in that area were still infested by tigers. Later, old Wuhan became a distribution center for business transactions. The Japanese tobacco produced from all parts of Medan was all along the wharf here. It was transported to Belawan by the Deli River, and then transported to foreign countries. Therefore, the old Wuhan area at that time became the main hub for the transportation of tobacco leaves and other local products, and the business exchanges were very active.
In the early days of old Wuhan, most of the area was in the swamp area. Because of the Deli River which directly led to Belawan into the sea, it was invisibly connected into a small dock area, and many fishermen lived in the surrounding area. Originally located in a remote swamp area, the block has developed into a convenient cargo distribution center, and people from all walks of life are also rushing to gather. It should be said that the development of old Wuhan can be traced back to 1888 or earlier.
Regarding the scene of the large population and prosperous economy of old Wuhan, although no official written records can be found, it is certain that during the Dutch-Indian government in 1886, Zhang Yaoxuan, the younger brother of the first Chinese official Ma Yao Zhang Rongxuan, was elected as the old man. Lei Zhenlan, a Chinese official in Wuhan area (government official position). This shows that many overseas Chinese residents must have settled in the old Wuhan and its surrounding jurisdictions. Furthermore, if the old Wuhan was not prosperous at the time, the “Kelabaru” palace owned by the Japanese Sultan would not be built in old Wuhan (the Japanese palace was moved to Medan in 1891).
The author recently returned to Medan and was accompanied by several literary friends from “Indian Chinese Literature” to the old Wuhan with a long history. I originally wanted to relive the glories of past history, but what I saw before my eyes was bleak. Old streets, old houses and deserted cityscapes.
The only street in old Wuhan has remained unchanged for nearly a hundred years, with two rows of left and right being built side by side; the only prominent building is the “Shoushan Palace” standing next to the street with a majestic facade.
Those old shophouses all belong to the same style, with upper and lower floors. However, the facades and roofs of some shophouses (called “Ancient House” in Southern Fujian) are about to collapse due to corrosion over the years, making the first-time outsiders feel desolate. And sentimental.
The old house seems to have been renovated. Most of the leaking roofs were checked to prevent water leakage. The walls in the house were damp and about to peel off. The only thing that remained unchanged was that there were still people living in the house. They belonged to the older generation of Wuhan people The descendants still live in this dilapidated old house.
We observed in more detail but found that all the beams of the old house are made of wood, and the floor slabs on the beams are also made of wood. We also found that the beams passing by in front of every old house shop had a big iron hook locked into the beam in the middle, and the younger generation could not tell the purpose of it. Later, I asked an elderly man surnamed Huang in his seventies for advice, and learned that this hook used to hang hanging scales used to purchase fish and local products (there were no floor scales and platform scales at the time).
As we couldn’t find more Chinese remains, we went back and visited the “Shoushan Palace.” Although this old temple has been in existence for hundreds of years, it still seems to remain solemn and not dilapidated. Normally, good men and women from all over Belawan and Medan come here to burn incense and worship Buddha, and the incense continues to this day.
From the stone steles preserved in the “Shoushan Palace”, we know that the temple was built in the “14th year of Guangxu, Qing Dynasty”, that is, 1888 AD. In addition to the words “Shoushan Palace Guanyin Buddha” carved on the stone tablet, there is also the following words: “Stealing me from the Tang Dynasty to Youli (now) has been 30 years since then…” Besides the prime minister Xie Yingcai, the person who erected the monument also had another The names of ten directors.
According to the establishment of the above stone stele (1888), it can be traced back to 30 years. It is certain that the Chinese settled in Deli (Old Wuhan) at the latest in 1858, which is much earlier than the Dutch who went to Deli to develop the tobacco plantation. year.
A Dutch historian, Karl J. Pelzer, wrote in his historical account about the Dutch who went to Deli to develop a tobacco plantation. He mentioned that the Dutch took a ship for the first time in the Deli (Kuala River Bay). Sungai Deli came ashore on July 6, 1863, and spent three weeks investigating several locations suitable for the development of the tobacco plantation before returning to Surabaya where they had stopped. This proves that the Chinese settled and made a living in the Deli area long before the development of the Deli Tobacco Company (1858). This period of history finally has an explanation.
Stories from Deli 
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